Suppression of Nitrogen Deposition on Global Forest Soil CH₄ Uptake Depends on Nitrogen Status

Abstract

Methane (CH4) is the second most important atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) and forest soils are a significant sink for atmospheric CH4. Uptake of CH4 by global forest soils is affected by nitrogen (N) deposition; clarifying the effect of N deposition helps to reduce uncertainties of the global CH4 budget. However, it remains an unsolved puzzle why N input stimulates soil CH4 uptake in some forests while suppressing it in others. Combining previous findings and data from N addition experiments conducted in global forests, we proposed and tested a “stimulating‐suppressing‐weakened effect” (“three stages”) hypothesis on the changing responses of soil CH4 flux (RCH4) to N input. Specifically, we calculated the response factors (f) of RCH4 to N input for N‐limited and N‐saturated forests across biomes; the phased changes in f values supported our hypothesis. We also estimated the global forest soil CH4 uptake budget to be approximately 11.2 Tg yr−1. CH4 uptake hotspots were predominantly located in temperate forests. Furthermore, we quantified that the current level of N deposition reduced global forest soil CH4 uptake by ∼3%. This suppression effect was more pronounced in temperate forests than in tropical or boreal forests, likely due to differences in N status. The proposed “three stages” hypothesis in this study generalizes the diverse effects of N input on RCH4, which could help improve experimental design. Additionally, our findings imply that by regulating N pollution and reducing N deposition, soil CH4 uptake can be significantly increased in the N‐saturated forests in tropical and temperate biomes.